1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an apparatus for disconnecting a surface mount connector. In particular, this invention relates to an improved surface mount connector having a flexible pull disconnect tab adapted for use with a flexible printed circuit board.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the field of electronics, innovations often create new opportunity for better ways of doing things. Recent innovations have included the use of surface mount connectors adapted for use with flexible printed circuit boards. Conventional surface mount connectors are typically attached by an acrylic adhesive to one side of the flexible printed circuit board. This flexible printed circuit board typically consists of two or more flexible insulator layers with conductor layers laminated between the insulator layers. The connector pads are flow soldered through openings in the insulator layers to the conductors in the flexible printed circuit board. If greater stability in insertion and removal is desired, a backing plate has been attached to the other side of the flexible printed circuit board, opposite the connector, to facilitate disconnecting the connector.
These conventional connectors often require high insertion and removal forces. These removal forces have typically been introduced by folding back the flexible printed circuit board on one or both sides of the connector and pulling upwardly. The prior art apparatus when removed as disclosed introduces an undesirable loading on the conductors of the flexible printed circuit board and the connector. After a number of insertions and removal, failure of the conductors on the flexible printed circuit board and/or connector could occur depending on factors such as temperature, loading and fatigue (number of removals).
Another disadvantage of the prior art apparatus is that an undesirable amount of stress is placed on the solder connection between the surface mount connector and the flexible printed circuit board. Eventually, this could cause the solder connection to fail, and due to the small size and the nature of the solder connections, such failures could be intermittent and difficult to detect.
A third disadvantage of the prior art apparatus is that flexible printed circuit boards are not designed to be folded back for disconnection of the surface mount connectors. Often not enough material is supplied to provide a good "hand hold", that could undesirably encourage the user to use only one side of the flexible circuit board to attempt removal that further exacerbates the above disclosed disadvantages.
Therefore it would be desirable to minimize stress on flexible printed circuit boards when disconnecting high insertion force surface mount connectors.